Police: Man choked, threatened to kill wife

A 41-year-old Allentown man threatened to kill his wife in front of their 3-year-old daughter and then choked her until she passed out, according to court documents.

Allentown police said Christopher Mannion, of 203 N. Maxwell St.,

was acting belligerently and smelled of alcohol when police came to his home at 8:47 a.m. Sunday, police said. They said it was the second time in 30 minutes they were called to the apartment.

Mannion told police there was no problem in the apartment, but they later found his wife, Denise Lutchman, who had been hiding from her husband, according to court records.

According to an arrest affidavit:

Lutchman told police she had been in an argument with her husband and he dragged her out of bed, sat on her and began choking her. She started screaming, causing their 3-year-old daughter to run into the room crying.

While continuing to choke Lutchman, Mannion told her to get their daughter out of the room so she wouldn't have to see her mother "get murdered." Lutchman said she lost consciousness and when she woke up police were knocking on the door.

Mannion is charged with aggravated assault, terroristic threats, endangering the welfare of a child, simple assault, reckless endangerment, harassment and public drunkenness. He was sent to Lehigh County Prison under $50,000 bail.